A suspect who police say was barricaded in a Denver-area 7-Eleven is in critical condition after a police officer shot him while he used a woman as a human shield, KDVR.com reported.

The suspect, who was not immediately identified, was reportedly negotiating with police for about an hour when he emerged from the convenient store behind the woman. When he turned to go back into the store, a police officer fired and struck him in the torso, the report said. The woman was unharmed.

"Out of fear for the female's safety, one of the officers fired one shot, striking the individual," Robert White, the Denver police chief, said. The suspect had indicated that he had a weapon, police said.

The woman who was taken hostage did not give news outlets her name, but called the incident "terrifying" and said she would not "wish it on my enemy."